Delayed Breast Reconstruction surgery Palm Beach County South Florida

Delayed Breast Reconstruction

Dr. Becker is recognized both nationally and internationally as an expert in breast reconstructive surgery. He has lectured and published extensively on the subject.

Dr. Becker is best known as the inventor of the adjustable breast implant, otherwise known as the Becker Expander Mammary prosthesis. The Becker Expander implant functions as a tissue expander, and then converts to a breast implant once the tissues have been expanded sufficiently.

Traditionally, a tissue expander is placed at the first surgery and used to expand the overlying skin. It is then removed at a second surgery and replaced with a breast implant. Thanks to the invention of the Becker expander implant, a second operation is no longer necessary to replace the expander with an implant- it can all be done in one surgery.

The Becker expander implant has become one of the most widely used implants for breast reconstruction. It is used throughout the U.S., at institutions such as the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic. It is also used in other countries throughout the world.

The results of reconstruction following mastectomy are directly related to the mastectomy technique that is performed. The techniques used for mastectomy are dependent on the nature of the condition being treated and the philosophy of the treating surgery

CLICK HERE for Delayed Breast Reduction before and after photos

Techniques available are:

Simple mastectomy - An elliptical incision is made across the breast, removing the nipple areolar complex with the surrounding skin. The incision is closed with a straight scar running across the breast.
Skin sparing mastectomy - A circular incision is made around the areola. The breast tissue is removed through this incision. The circular incision is closed as a purse string, usually leaving a small puckered scar.
Areolar preserving incision - The nipple is excised together with the breast tissue through a horizontal incision through the areola. The areolar skin is later used to reconstruct the nipple.
Subcutaneous mastectomy - An incision is made at the inferior edge of the areola or in the breast fold. The breast tissue is excised, leaving the nipple areolar complex intact. Tissue is usually removed from the base of the nipple and checked with frozen section prior to closure.

ONE STAGE IMMEDIATE BREAST RECONSTRUCTION (performed at the time of the mastectomy)

For women who are contemplating breast reconstruction, a revolutionary procedure has emerged; this procedure is known as skin-sparing single-stage breast reconstruction. This procedure is gaining popularity among progressive surgeons throughout the country and the world.

One nationally known plastic surgeon who has embraced this technology is Dr. Hilton Becker, based in Boca Raton, Florida. Dr. Becker is the developer of the Becker Expander Implant and is one of the first surgeons to perfect single-stage breast reconstruction. Single-stage breast reconstruction has been made possible by combining skin sparing mastectomy with the expander implant, which allows physicians to restore their patients’ natural breast appearance, while only having to undergo one major surgical procedure.

These new breast implants differ from standard implants in that they have a fill tube attached to them. This fill tube enables a surgeon to inject small amounts of saline into them for several months during routine office visits, following a woman's single reconstruction procedure. Over time, the woman's body slowly adjusts to the growth of the implant in the same manner that her body adjusts to a gradual growth of the abdomen during pregnancy. When the implant has been expanded to a size and shape that mirrors the patient's natural breast, the fill tube is removed. The expander implant then seals itself; and reconstruction is complete.

Dr. Becker believes that single-stage breast reconstruction affords his patients several important benefits. “The advent of single-stage reconstruction enhances the physical and emotional well-being of my patients because it allows them to awake after their mastectomy with some breast fullness that will be expanded to their satisfaction.”

Many patients look as good, if not better, after their bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction then they did before the surgery. Click here to view pictures of patients who have undergone this procedure. For more information about options in breast reconstruction, please call (800) MENTOR-8.

It is important to note that every woman's body and medical condition is different; so not all women are eligible for single-stage reconstruction. Your doctor is the best person to discuss with you whether or not single-stage breast reconstruction is a suitable option.

Dr. Becker has published numerous articles on this procedure. He lectures nationally and internationally and has been featured on 20/20, Healthcare network, MSNBC Special Edition and Extra. He was listed in Good Housekeeping as one of America 's Top 184 Breast Cancer Reconstructive Surgeons.

Click here for more information on Dr. Becker’s publications on breast reconstruction

PROPHYLACTIC MASTECTOMY WITH IMMEDIATE RECONSTRUCTION

Prophylactic preventative mastectomy is the surgical procedure performed to remove one or both breasts in an effort to prevent or reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

Three techniques are commonly used:

Total mastectomy - This is the treatment of choice for most surgeons, as it removes both the nipple and breast tissue. Today, this procedure is usually performed as a skin-sparing mastectomy.
ubcutaneous mastectomy - Removes the breast tissue but spares the nipple. Surgeons are concerned about leaving the nipple because of the possibility of leaving cancerous tissue in the ducts that run through the nipple.
Areolar-sparing mastectomy - This is a new technique that we have recently been using. It offers a compromise between the above two procedures. The nipple is removed, leaving the areolar skin, which is converted into a nipple. The areola is recreated with a tattoo.

Because all or most of the skin and muscle are retained following a prophylactic mastectomy, there is no need to bring in extra skin by means of a flap. The muscle is strengthened with an acellular dermal graft (Alloderm, Surgimend or Neoform). While a flap can be used to replace the volume of the breast, the implant developed by Dr. Becker (the Mentor Becker 50/50) is considered by many surgeons to be the ideal implant to reconstruct the breast following prophylactic mastectomy.

The Mentor Becker 50/50 implant is a double-chambered implant with cohesive gel in the outer chamber and saline in the inner chamber. Saline can be added or removed from the implant by means of an injection dome. The implant can be placed under the muscle in the same way that it is done for breast augmentation. Saline is added once the skin has sufficiently healed, and then over-expanded to improve the shape of the breast. The volume is then reduced, and the injection dome is removed through a tiny incision. In select cases where circulation to the skin is not comprised, a gel implant can be used to eliminate the need for delayed filling or expansion.

The scar at the areola becomes almost invisible; and there is no donor site scar that is seen with flap surgery.

The reconstruction surgery takes approximately one hour following the mastectomy

TREATMENT OF COMPLICATION FOLLOWING BREAST RECONSTRUCTION

Dr. Hilton Becker is a recognized expert on Breast Reconstruction. He has developed several adjustable breast implants and published numerous articles and book chapters on breast reconstruction complications and how to treat them.